Bussell, Traven

Mr. Palmer

Criminal Justice CJ1010

5/21/17

The Student Resource Officer Outside Activity Assignment

 For the outside activities project, I attended two activities. Both activities relating to the

Herriman High School Student Resource Officer (SRO officer), Archie. I personally enjoyed the

time, she had an interesting perspective of her career. I interviewed her about her career, law

enforcement, as well as her interests in the SRO position. I also job shadowed her for several

hours on one of my B days. This essay will be about said activities as well as some information

relating to the law enforcement career and the student resource officer career within law

enforcement.

First off, I decided to speak with officer Archie. I spoke with my counselor, and went in a

gave her an interview. It went quite well if I say so myself. She was a very interesting woman,

with very intriguing views on the Student Resource Officer career. Like all officers, student

resource officer Archie started out as a patrol officer. She spent twelve years in the correctional

system before becoming a student resource officer. With that out of the way, the interview

began, I discussed several questions I had about the position.

In the interview with student resource officer Archie I asked an assortment of questions

that I was interested in learned about the student resource officer career. First off, I asked what

kind of training a student resource officer is given. Besides basic training of course, what I

learned was surprising. An student resource officer is put through a three day course called the

SRO Training School. After which the cadets in the school must pass an interview before
becoming student resource officers. This training is different from standard patrol officers

training in which the learn the aspects of being student resource officers.

Another section of my interview questions were about what she saw in the student

resource officer career, as well as her beliefs in the position. Before becoming a student resource

officer, officer Archie spent sixteen years in law enforcement. She was in juvenile detention, a

deputy and a correctional officer. She is currently on her fourth year as a student resource officer,

but this was her first year at Herriman High School. She feels that the student resource officer is

a fun, enjoyable career that she would recommend to those who feel a connection. She herself

enjoys working with kids which is an important thing in the career as if you hate the kids you

would prove to be a terrible student resource officer.

After interviewing officer Archie, I learned about what type of people are student

resource officers. I would say that a student resource officer would have to be an extrovert who

enjoys being around people. They would also have to enjoy students, and young people. This of

course would be a more difficult task for most people, as students are very irritating. I would also

have to say that you would need experience and a strive for being around young people to help

shape the future of America. As well being able to be

Student resource officers main purpose within schools are to provide a safe learning

environment for the youth of the United States. They are just regular police officers; given

student resource officer training, then deployed to a school. They can do the same things as

regular police officers, but given the additional responsibilities of consoling. And of course;

arrests. I myself once had seen one of my classmates taken by the student resource officer of my

school after a outburst in my math class. They were trained to handle situations similar to this.
The other responsibility of the student resource officers is mentoring students. As a symbol of

authority is more respected and can assist in said task (to some people and areas).

The student resource officer program was credited in 1953 although they were not

common at the time. The first country to use student resource officers was the United States of

America with the first student resource officer program being in Michigan, in the city of Flint.

They were created in order to make law enforcement more popular in the eyes of the public.

Additionally, the student resource officers were to provide onsite security to the schools. Another

reason student resource officers are utilized in schools is to introduce students to the criminal

justice system. This is good as if more students take a career in law enforcement, then there will

be more people in law enforcement, or more people who know their rights which would help the

citizens of the United States of America. Also, when you have law enforcement officers at

schools, this would reduce crime, and reduce the chance of students committing crimes. To be

honest, the history of the student resource officer is quite slim and sadly short. But overall the

main duty of the student resource officer is to provide onsite security to schools.

The student resource officer is, in this day and age; necessary. The amount of criminal

activities have increased and have thus caused a need for security. While a school security, such

as private security guards, would be more idealist in the minds of some. As many people in

today's world do not trust nor support the police. Which is absurd, this is why student resource

officers are extremely useful. As they improve the police's’ image to the youth of the United

States of America. As the youth today are tomorrow's future, this would create a positive view of

the police in the distant future. But there is some speculation to this. As the student resource

officer became more popular in the 1980s with the drug war in full effect by the drug
enforcement agency. In that time, the policies public opinion has only decreased not increased.

Perhaps this is due to the Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ, and the Liberal Media portraying the law

enforcement officers as white supremacists. If the student resource officers are given a choice to

become more interactive with the students they work with, perhaps this could start an increase in

support for the law enforcement agencies. Another reason as to why the true police student

resource officers are used over private security officers; trust. It is, in most cases, more common

for an officer of the law of the United States of America are more trustworthy and reliable to

handle the stress and position of the job at hand than a private security officer with the children

of America.

In the job shadow, I job shadowed the student resource officer in order to learn about the

career of the student resource officer. They have interesting responsibilities, basically everything

above. I feel that the student resource officers are usually great people as well. As both Officer

Archie and my previous school; Grays Creek High School of Cumberland County North

Carolina, had very kind and great people. They are very relatable? If that is the right word to

describe their personality. But, I feel that is a good thing, as students need to have good relations

with students in order to fulfil the purpose of increasing the popularity of law enforcement in the

United States of America.

Now, the United States of America is not the only country with a student resource officer

program. The other country that utilizes a student resource officer program is Canada. Canada

started her student resource officer program in 2008, with the city of Toronto being the first in

Canada to use a student resource officer program. They have a very similar program to the
 United States of America. Like the United States, they improve civilian-law enforcement

relations. As well as providing security in this ever more dangerous world of today.

The qualifications of the student resource officer are to be expected. (This paragraph will

be using information from the National Association of School Resource Officer.org) There are

fifteen qualifications that a student resource officer must meet and learn. Many of these

qualifications are to be expected for the learning/ school environment:

I. Foundations of School-Based Law Enforcement: to learn about the history of the student

resource program.

II. Ethics and the SRO: build trust among student resource officers and the public.

III. (III+IV) The SRO as a teacher and guest speaker: For student resource officers to be

proper speakers.

IV. Understanding special needs students: For student resource officers to understand special

needs students.

V. The SRO as a informal counselor and mentor: Provide mentoring towards students.

VI. Understanding the teen brain: Understand how teenageers work.

VII. Violence and victimization, changes to development: Understand how the brain responds

to stress.

VIII. Sex trafficking of youth: Understand how to find the effects of sex trafficking and

provide anti-sex trafficking efforts.

IX. Effects of youth trends and drugs on the school culture and environment: Understand

how drugs work.

X. Social media: Understand the concept of social media, and its’ impact.
 XI. School law: Understand the school's rules and laws.

XII. Threat response, preventing violence in school settings: How to respond to violence in

schools.

XIII. School safety and emergency operations plans: Make schools a safe learning environment

for students. Student resource officers must understand how to provide security for

schools.

XIV. Crime prevention through environmental design: To prevent crimes in and near schools.

Those are the requirements that a student resource officer must learn and understand in order to

be a proper SRO officer.

And that is the student resource officer. They are vital in today's’ world to provide onsite

school security. They are usually great, fun people that students can relate with. There are several

reasons for having student resource officers and they (in theory) improve student relations with

law enforcement. And that is my case report on the student resource officer.
Bibliography:

https://nasro.org/basic-sro-course/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_resource_officer

Student Resource Officer Archie.